The church has been open all day (Saturday) for people to pray. According to O'Donohoe, hundreds have come.

What will these pastors say to people from their congregation who ask, "Why?"

"Whenever I've lost a loved one or done a funeral for someone - perhaps a child - people always ask why," said O'Donohoe. "In this case, yes, it is going to be sad. For the Husbands and Andersons, they've lost their father and their husband. But I know these ladies are strong Christians and their children know the Lord also. They know that their Daddies and their husbands are in heaven. Tragic as all this is, that's just comfort that we have. We have that comfort in knowing that we, too, will be there one day.

"I know this much," O'Donohoe concluded, "I know that Rick and Mike are in heaven. I'm just sad because they are not with me. But we'll be together again someday. I know that it would have been better for us for Rick and Mike to live, but they're with Jesus now, and that's better for them."

In Their Own Words

Following are excerpts from NASA's official pre-flight interview for STS-107 that demonstrate how Husband and Anderson felt about their faith:

NASA: Outside of your time with NASA, what's been your most enjoyable time or experience in life?

Rick Husband: Well, I think apart from NASA, the most enjoyable part of my life has been my time with my family. And, if you think about, probably the pinnacle or the most exciting or memorable events, I would say probably my marriage and then the birth of our two children, and being there with my wife, and just the awesome experience of seeing a baby come into the world. And just being so overwhelmed with God's goodness in blessing us with two wonderful children.